1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for measuring mastication of humans and animals and a method thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the rapid changes in eating habits toward tender foods to a considerable extent, mastication of sufficient chewing and digestion characteristics is declining. Seventy-five percent of children of lower grades of elementary school, in particular, do not or cannot chew their food enough, according to a study. Such insufficient mastication results not only in physical disorders such as dysgnathia, teeth malalignment, dental caries and pyorrhea alveolaris, but also in mental disturbances such as hypomnesia.
For this reason, improvements in eating habits and the related environment are desired to encourage the public to masticate food sufficiently.
On the other hand, because a transition of emphasis in medical practice from therapeutic medicine to preventive and control medicine is expected in the future, dentists will give their patients post-therapeutic instructions to control and prevent the recurrence of dental problems, instead of mere therapeutic treatment. In this trend, research of mastication has become increasingly important.
In the prior art of measuring masticating cycles, a picture of a subject is recorded with a video camera, and the mastication cycles and the characteristics thereof are measured by playing back the recorded picture. Although this prior art process is practical, it requires a video camera and related equipment and constitutes an elaborate procedure. The prior art also has a drawback in that the measurement cannot be made when the subject turns sideways instead of facing toward the camera.
Another prior art process is the electromyograph method which includes a procedure similar to that of conventional electrocardiography, with sensors adhered to the face of the subject detecting the electric current generated thereat. These prior art processes are unable to measure the mastication easily.